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Three People Are Dead After a Shooting at a Theater in Lafayette, Louisiana

The gunman was reportedly sitting in the audience when he stood up and fired his handgun into the crowd. He then turned the weapon on himself.
Image via Google Maps Streetview

Just before 8.30 PM on Thursday night, a gunman described by police as a "lone white male" opened fire in a movie theater in Lafayette, Louisiana. Two were killed in the attack and seven injured, some critically. The gunman also died at the scene, reportedly from a self-inflicted gunshot.

No motive has been put forward, but the authorities have identified the shooter as John Russell Houser. Lafayette Police Chief Jim Craft said the 58-year-old had a criminal record. Craft made it clear to reporters that the man, who was armed with a semi-automatic handgun, acted alone.

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The Grand Theater, a 16-screen multiplex in a busy part of the city, was swarmed by police after moviegoers tripped the alarm.

Twenty-year-old Jalen Fernell is a student at the University of Louisiana. He told the Washington Post that he was in a screening next door. "When those sirens went off, immediately my heart sank into my chest because I was like 'Wait, those gunshots came from inside the building,'" he said.

Robert Martinez, 17, was at the Grand Theater to see Magic Mike XXL with his mom. They were buying concessions when they saw people running. "I thought it was just a joke," he told the New York Times. "People were screaming."

His mother, Tanya Clark, 36, described how the family ran, leaving her purse behind on the counter. "In that moment, you don't think about anything. That's when you realize that your wallet and phone are not important. As we were running for our car, I could see people with gunshot wounds and one lady bleeding from the leg with a T-shirt wrapped around it."

The Guardian reports that Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal, when asked what possible impact the shooting could have on gun control, refused to engage with the subject. "Let's focus on the victims … Tonight's not the night for us to be political," he told reporters.

The shooting occurred just hours after Barack Obama suggested the lack of progress on gun reforms during his prresidency was his biggest source of frustration.

BBC exclusive: Gun control is area where I've been most frustrated, President Obama admits — BBC Breaking News (@BBCBreaking)July 23, 2015

The area was been secured while the police investigated three suspicious packages in the gunman's car. The packages, which were detonated by bomb squad personnel, were later found to be harmless.

My heart is broken and all my thoughts and prayers are with everyone in Louisiana.

— Amy Schumer (@amyschumer)July 24, 2015

The film showing in the theater where the shooting took place was the Amy Schumer comedy Trainwreck. It's believed the gunman was sitting in the audience when he suddenly stood up and fired his weapon into the crowd.